United Nations of a Different Kind

Over two years ago, we had a wild idea here at TEAM. We decided to “get the family all together.” Hundreds of global workers who serve all over the world, US and Canada staff and their families, as well as multi-national and organizational partners. All in one place. All at one time. In person. For the first time in TEAM’s 130+ year history. 

Why? We have technology to bring us together virtually, right? Why be in person? And why everyone across our organization together? Why not just stay home and keep focused on our own ministry context? After all, isn’t one worker’s Creation Care ministry in Latin America vastly different than another’s work, supporting an underground church movement in a closed nation on the opposite side of the globe? What do they have in common to connect about or learn from each other? 

Still the Holy Spirit beckoned us toward a greater unity and more authentic connectedness. As we pursued this idea of a global gathering, we saw His faithful hand. When an obstacle arose, the Lord removed it. When we doubted our course of action, He’d show up with something to propel us forward. After a while, our deep breaths of uncertainty gave way to smiles in amazement, as we said to each other, “Are we really doing this?”  

A Small Slice of Heaven 

The value of being together was like a promise we clung to our chests, despite the monumental nature of the task. The logistical challenges of bringing this many global workers, staff, national partners, and families together seemed insurmountable at times.  

We wondered how in the world (no pun intended) we would do it, yet we knew we should. We worked really hard, and the Lord honored it. When the event finally kicked off with an opening ceremony, I stood at the back of a packed ballroom in Asia with a few colleagues as we breathed a collective sigh of relief, and, well, elation. “They’re here,” one of my co-workers said simply as we surveyed the community of brothers and sisters gathered before us. Thus began a wonderful week that one of our organization’s leaders would call “a small slice of heaven.”  

Now a few months later, with this event in the rear-view mirror, we marvel at what God did. The event wasn’t perfect by any means, and boy, did we learn a lot in the process. But God showed up in ways too incredible not to talk about it.  

Is telling this story about our own organization a little self-aggrandizing? There’s the danger it may sound that way. But as a writer, I have to share what I saw God do. As a Christ-follower who works in a home office in Virginia yet wants to play my part in the Great Commission, I’m compelled to chronicle the goodness of God that I saw poured out in the midst of hundreds of global brothers and sisters.  

Old Friends and New   

I’ve only been with TEAM for a couple of years, so for me the week was a beautiful tapestry of meeting new people and connecting faces to names I’ve only seen in emails or heard in stories from others. I often get to collect ministry stories from global workers via Zoom or through email and support letters, but nothing matches the opportunity to sit across a table with a brother or sister in Christ over mangos and sticky rice, and soak in every nuance of their wisdom and experience. 

But even greater was observing the reunions between people who have known each other for many years in this organization but serve oceans apart. Some came through training together or previously served in the same area before the Lord called them to different corners of the globe. Smiles and hugs and tears abounded as people saw each other for the first time in a great while, and quickly made plans to share a meal or connect in other ways during the week. 

One of the sweetest moments I witnessed was when a global worker came to record a video for us and discovered that one of the videographers was the son of a dear friend. She remembered him as a little boy attending her wedding! In another instance, two TCK’s (also known as third-culture kids or missionary kids) met for the first time and discovered that one is living in the same house where the other used to live. Their friendship was immediate, as they shared experiences of living and serving with their families in Japan. 

Introspection, Reflection, and Healing 

Serving cross-culturally is often incredibly difficult, isolating, and discouraging. Slow response to the Gospel, conflict within ministry teams, and just plain burnout are real threats to the longevity of missions service. Past hurts left unaddressed lead to bitterness and disillusionment. Add to that the inevitability of spiritual warfare, and global workers can be left feeling defeated and overwhelmed. 

Gathering together as a spiritual community allowed for each of us, at every level and in every role within the organization, to care for one another, to seek (and grant) forgiveness where needed, and to carry one another’s burdens. Member Care counselors as well as a dedicated prayer team met with and prayed over individuals, couples, and families.  

A community art project in the form of a mural allowed people to come to a private space and express their hurts, fears, and burdens through creative expression. One mom raising her children on the mission field shared what this meant to her family: “One of my little ones poured her heart into drawing out her burdens and prayers and dreams.”  

On the last day of our time together, the community mural was cut up into bookmarks so that each attendee could take home a reminder of how we all fit together into the tapestry that God is weaving together in us – through our joys and triumphs but also through our heartaches and trials. 

Worshipping Together 

Revelation chapter 7 tells us of a coming day when multitudes from every nation, tribe, and tongue will come before the throne of God in worship. As we gathered for worship with brothers and sisters from all around the world, we got a glimpse of what that will be like.  

Our praise band hailed from Guatemala. One night we worshipped with a choir from Nagaland, India. On another, a member of our staff shared his favorite worship song played on saxophone. Evening worship times included the reading of beautiful liturgies and private prayer. But best of all, we lifted voices together in unity and harmony to the one we all call Father. No Zoom call could ever hope to compete with that! 

Passing of the Torch  

As an organization that is over 130 years old, TEAM has a great legacy to look back on. But more importantly, we have a bright future to look forward to. This family get-together allowed us to appreciate our history and also to look ahead to where God is leading us in several ways: 

• We celebrated the retirement of Dave Hall, TEAM’s International Director since 2019 and welcomed new International Director, Justin Burkholder. 

• Justin shared the exciting vision for a more internationalized community of global workers throughout our organization and the global Church as a whole. 

• We celebrated TEAM workers entering retirement and saw great connections form between new workers eager to learn and seasoned workers with great wisdom to impart.  

As a member of the TEAM community, I can only describe what took place throughout this gathering as God’s abundant blessing on our at-times-bumbling efforts at obedience. Even though we had hiccups along the way, and bringing together so many people from so many places was no small miracle, it was so worth it. The event has given us greater clarity in our mission and spurred us on with greater boldness and courage in proclaiming Christ where He is not known. Each member of TEAM, with our own individual roles to play, is strengthened by our joint purpose as a collective whole. 

For me personally, I also have a new understanding of Paul’s words to the church at Thessalonica when he said, “Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.” (1 Thess 2:8 NASB 1995)